Crate-forming apparatus



F. F; VARELA.

CRATE FORMING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, I920.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

3 INVENTOR 7678i 7 W ATTORNEY FRANK I. VARELA, SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA.

CRATE-FORMING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. '7, 1922.

Application filed June 1, 1920. Serial No. 385,637.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1,-FRANK F. VARELA, a citizen of Mexico, residing at Santa Ana, 1n the county of Orange and State of Callfornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Crate-Forming Apparatus, of which the. following is a specification.

My invention relates to crate forming apparatus, and is particularly designed to enable the operator to assemble a plurality of slats together in proper relation and to secure them together to form what 1s commonly known as an onion crate.

The object of my invention is to provlde a simple and efiicient means for rapidly bending the ends of the tie wires which pass through the bores in the ends of the crate slats, in order that the slats may be firmly bound together to form a rectangular crate.

Other objects will appear in the following description, will be pointed out in the claims, and will be embodied in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a pan view of an assembly table,

showing a plurality of slats adapted to form a crate assembled thereon, and having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the legs of the table being broken ofl.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan vlew of my wire bending device, showing a wire mounted therein in the position it would assume before it has been bent.

Fig. 5 is a similar View to Fig. 4, showing the wire in the shape it would assume after it has been bent.

Fig. 6 is a miniature plan view of an as sembled crate.

Fig. 7 is a miniature side view of an essembled crate.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the wire bending operating mechanism.

Crates of the character above'described are formed of two groups of slats 10 and 12 adapted to constitute the sides of the crate; and two groups of slats 11 and 13 adapted to constitute the ends of the crate, as clearly shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings. The ends of the slats 10 and 11 overlap the ends of the slats 12 and 13'alternately, and all of the slats are provided with bores 14 adapted to register with each other and through which pass the tie Wires 15, the ends of which arebent at approximately right angles, as at 16 and 17, in order that the crate may be properly held together.

The apparatus for forming the crate comprises a table 19 rectangular in shape, which is provided with the supporting legs 20. Secured to the upper-surface of the table 19 are four'groups of cleats 21, 22, 23 and 24. These cleats are arranged longitudwinally in parallel relation on the table 19 and are spaced suitably apart to form pockets into which the crate slats are inserted, the slats 10, 11, 12 and 13 being respectively inserted in the pockets'formed between the cleats 21, 22, 23 and 24, as clearly shown in F ig.- 1 of the drawings. The cleats 21, 22, 23 and 24 are of shorter length than the slats 10, 11, 12 and 13, the ends ofsaid slats being adapted to project beyond the ends of said cleats, and the groups of cleats 22 and 24 are arranged in staggered relation with the groups 21 and 23. By this arrangement it will be seenthat the ends of slats 11 will rest between the ends of cleats 21 and 23, the ends of slats 12 will rest between the ends of cleats 22 and 24, the inwardly projecting ends of slats 10 will abut against the ends of cleats 22, and the inwardly projecting ends of slats 13 will abut against the ends of cleats 23, the outer ends of slats 13 being adapted to rest upon a transversely disposed bar 25 and to be lifted thereby out of the pocket formed between cleats 24, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The outwardly extending ends of slats l0 abut against a transversely disposed bar 26 mounted upon table 19. By this arrangement it will be seen that the bores 14 in the various groups of cleats will be held in alignment, and that the wires 15 may be readily inserted-therein, as clearly shown in Figures -1 and 3 of the drawings.

To the under surface of table 19 is secured the strap irons 28 and 29, which are provided with. bores which form bearings for the shafts 30, 31, 32 and 33, said shafts being arranged so as to project upwardly through an aperture in table 19 opposite the bores 14 in the various groups of slats. Each of the shafts 30, 31, 32 and 33 are provided with an upwardly extending lug 35 and an upwardly extending pin 36, the space between said lug and pin being adapted to receive the end of a wire 15, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The shafts 30 and 31 are adapted to be rotated in unison for a part of a revolution, and the shafts 32 and 33 are also adapted to be rotated in unison for a part of a revolution, and as the mechanism for accomplishing this is the same in both cases, a description of one will suffice for a description of the other. I

Secured to shafts 30, 31, 32 and 33 respectively are the cranks 38 and 39, said cranks being connected together by means of a link 40. Pivoted to the strap iron 29 at 41 is a lever 42 which extends underneath the table 19 and outwardly beyond the front of the same. One end of a link 43 is pivoted to link 40 at 44 and is provided at its opposite end with a slot 45 into which a pin 46secured to lever 42 projects.

Pivoted at 47 to lever 42 is a link 48, the opposite end of said link being provided with a slot 49 adapted to engage'with a pin 50 on link 40. Surrounding each of the shafts 30, 31, 32 and 33 is a torsional spring 51, one end of said spring being secured to strap 28, and the opposite end of said spring being secured to the shaft. By the foregoing arrangement it will be seen that when lever 42 is moved in a direction indicated by the arrow, that it will pull on link 43 and through its connection with link 40 and cranks 38 and 39 will cause the shafts 30 and 31 to revolve. After the lever 42 has been moved for approximately half of the distance of its stroke, the link 48 comes in positive engagement with the link 40, and the link 43 becomes idle, due to the lost motion, which is provided for by means of the slot 45, continued movement of the lever 42 thereby causing a further rotation of the shafts 30 and 31, by means of link 48, the inner extremity of the slat 49 having at this time engaged with the pin 50 on link 40.

' The lever 42 passes between a pair of strap members 53 and 54, which are secured to the under surface of table 19, the downwardly projecting legs 55 of the strap member 54 serving as stops to limit the move ment of lever 42.

Mounted adjacent the shafts 30, 31, 32 and 33 and secured to the upper surface of table 19 are gauge members 56 adapted to regulate the distance the wires 15 may project beyond the outer edges of the slats.

In the operation of the apparatusthe slat members are assembled on the table, as shown in Fig. 1, and three of the wires 15 are inserted in the bores 14 in the ends of said slats, one of the ends of each of the wires having previouslybeen bent at right angles as at 16, and. the opposite ends of the wires projectin between the lugs .35 and pins 36 onthe shafts 30, 31 and 32, and resting against the gauge members 56. The

' lever 42 at A is then moved in the direction of the arrow which causes the shafts 30 and 31 to rotate and thereby bend the ends of the wires 15 at 17 as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. A

After the two wires which rested between the lugs 35 and pins .36 on shafts 30 and 31 have been bent, the free ends of the slats 10 are lifted out of the pockets and are doubled over so as to rest upon the bar 25 and register with the free ends of the slats 10 and 13, and the handle 42 at B is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow, thereby bending the ends of said wires. The assembled crate is then removed from the table and the operation is repeated. When. the crate is removed from the table, the springs 51 act to return the handles 42 on shafts 30, 31, 32 and 33 to normal. 7

By the above recited construction and method of operation it will be seen that I have provided a very efficient and rapid means for bending the ends of the crate tie wires, thus reducing the time consumed for this operation to a minimum.

What I claim is: n

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprisinga table upon which a plurality of crate slats may be assembled in proper position to receive the crate tie wires, a plurality of vertically disposed shafts each provided with an upstanding pin and lug between which the ends of said tie wires are adapted to pass, and means for rotating said shafts.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a table upon which a plurality of crate slats may be assembled in proper position to receive the crate tie wires, a plurality of vertically disposed shafts each provided with an upstanding pin and lug between which the ends of said tie wires are adapted to pass, cranks secured to said'shafts and a lever connected to said cranks whereby two or more of said shafts may be rotated in unison.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3th day of May, 1920.

FRANK F. VAR-ELA,

Witnesses:

HELEN SYLVESTER, PLACIDO JACQUES. 

